Camp Southern Ground Celebrates the Building of a Brand-New Pool – with Pool Industry Partners Coming Together to Help! (Master Pools Guild)
The opening of the DAYLO Aquatics Center on May 6th marked the start of this year’s summer for Camp Southern Ground. Founded by GRAMMY Award-winning artist Zac Brown in 2011, Camp Southern Ground stretches across more than 400 acres of land in Fayetteville, Georgia, about 30 miles south of Atlanta. During summer months, it is an inclusive, residential camp—bringing together typically developing children, children with neurodevelopmental differences, underserved kids and kids from military families to participate in programs that challenge, educate and inspire. The rest of the year is dedicated to supporting post-9/11 veterans through work and wellness programs that help them find community, direction, purpose and healing during—and even long after—their transition back to civilian life, all at no cost to participants.
“The new pool is a wonderful addition to camp,“ said Mike Dobbs, Camp Southern Ground President and CEO. “We felt so blessed to be adopted by the Georgia Pool and Spa Association, by so many pool industry partners and by the Weiss family (DAYLO Foundation). Together, they helped us to raise funds for building the pool, together with bathhouse, laundry facility, pumphouse and recreation room.
Shawn Still (owner of Olympic Pool Plastering) brought in Eric Brooks (Innovative Pools) as the pool builder for the project, following three years of fundraising by the Georgia Chapter of the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance. In addition, pool industry vendors rallied to provide materials at no charge or at a deep discount.
Pebble Technology provided the finish material for free. (The pool features Aqua Blue PebbleSheen™.) Olympic Pool Plastering contributed the pool finish application. Jandy and Fluidra contributed significantly, as well. Dobbs added, “So many vendor partners got behind the effort. It’s a beautiful thing to see even competitors come together for good in this way—and with such high standards for the result. In fact, the pool has already won an award for design and construction excellence, through the Atlanta Business Chronicle.”
The DAYLO Aquatic Center pool is just one part of a camp experience designed to teach the beauty of inclusion and that, in our differences, every person in the world has immense value. Kudos to the Pool Industry community for working together to make a real difference for so many. As Zac Brown sings, “Love is the remedy.”
Submitted by Kari Paulson, Pebble Technology International. All photos were provided by Olympic Pool Plastering.
